Uzbekistan | 2014 | 88 minutes | Saodat Ismailova

In an isolated Uzbek village, young Bibicha takes a traditional vow of silence and moves into her grandmother’s old house, along with three other women, to be part of a chilla, or spiritual “quarantine.”

Taiwan | 2013 | 93 minutes | Chi Po-Lin

Astonishing aerial cinematography reveals the shorelines, mountaintops, cityscapes, farmer’s fields, rivers, and social life of the island nation, delivering a sweet environmentalist and humanist message.

Philippines | 2013 | 111 minutes | Jeffrey Jeturian

Loida is an aging actress whose specialty is playing bit parts in Filipino soap operas. We follow a day in her life, and are shown the questionable, exploitative, and uncomfortably hilarious ways of the soap opera production.

Australia | 2013 | 84 minutes | Aaron Wilson

During the 1942 Japanese invasion of Singapore, an Australian airman and an injured Chinese resistance fighter are stranded in the jungle as a cacophonous battle rages around them. An engrossing survival thriller ensues as they navigate the language barrier, perilous surroundings, and external enemies.

South Korea | 2014 | 98 minutes | Kelvin Kyung Kun Park

In this “city symphony” (think Man With A Movie Camera) concentrated on Ulsan, South Korea’s immense Hyundai shipyard, director Park studies the connections between man, machine, and the search for god.

Hong Kong | 2013 | 110 minutes | Alan Yuen

South Korea | 2013 | 99 minutes | Noh Young-seok

Slowly building menace until tensions reach the boiling point, Noh Young-seok’s follow up to Daytime Drinking (SIFF 2009) follows a writer to a cabin in the snowy woods, where he erroneously thinks he’ll find quiet time to finish his screenplay.

United Kingdom | 2014 | 86 minutes | Hong Khaou

This delicate chamber piece addresses the universal language of grief with elegance, humor, and tenderness. Sixty-something Junn is visited by an interpreter who can help bridge the language gaps between herself and two men: a new suitor at the nursing home and the handsome “best friend” of her deceased son.

Japan | 2014 | 136 minutes | Yoji Yamada

SIFF's mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive!